OneLoveSample

Gospel impact

Paul prays for his friend Philemon as he is about to ask him to do something quite unheard of. Paul is going to ask Philemon to not only forgive his runaway slave, Onesimus, but also to give him his freedom and to see him as a brother. If Philemon did this he would break all sorts of social conventions of the day and potentially upset some powerful people.

In his prayer for Philemon Paul uses the word “Koinonia”, here translated fellowship, to remind Philemon that all believers share equally in the grace and mercy of Christ. God’s kingdom includes a new society wherein all men are equal, as Paul reminded believers in Colossians 3:11 that we belong to “a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”

The good news of the gospel must transform our hearts and then through changed lives transform the society around it. The impact of the gospel may be very personal on each of us, but may its impact never be kept private. 

Prayer response:

1. Pray that God would cause the gospel to continue to transform your heart and life. Ask Him to show you what in your life still needs to be transformed and if there is anything countercultural He wants you to do.
2. Pray that the church of Jesus in Tshwane would also be strengthened in its fellowship, that we would be able to gather around the grace and mercy of Jesus that we all equally share in.
3. Pray that the gospel would continue to transform lives in a very personal way and also continue to transform our society as people live out that transformation in public.

*Pray for the salvation of those on your prayer list.